Today over 66 years ago the world witnessed the first ever thermonuclear atomic bomb testing on Bikini atoll in the Marshall Islands. The Marshall Islands was the ground zero of US thermonuclear weapons testing program from 1946 – 1958, a span of 12 yrs. During this period -67 thermonuclear bombs were detonated — a total yield of which was equalled to 7200 Hiroshima bombs. In other words – – 1.2 Hiroshima bombs a day blasted for 12 yrs. It represented over 85 % of all the US atomic bomb testing resulting in huge amount of radiation being unleashed into the environment. In fact Bikini was deemed ‘ the most contaminated place on earth’ according to US officials at the time. That’s the US nuclear legacy in the Marshall Islands.
Dr. Wilfred Alik, Marshallese medical doctor with over 20 years of practice in family medicine in Hawaii.
March 1st is Nuclear Victims Remembrance Day in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. We stand in solidarity with the Marshallese people at home and abroad in remembering this grave injustice to their people and their land, air, and ocean. We must never forget.